How Much Can I Borrow Based on My Salary?

How much loan you can get based on your salary depends above all on your disposable income after paying existing liabilities and covering basic living costs. A higher salary generally allows for a larger loan, but in the final calculation the bank also factors in loans, leasing, dependants, employment type, the repayment term, and other elements. That is why the same net salary for two different people does not necessarily mean the same creditworthiness.

The easiest way is to split the whole calculation into three steps. First, use the creditworthiness calculator to estimate your highest possible monthly instalment. Then, in the loan calculator, check what loan amount matches that instalment. Finally, in the real estate financing calculator, add your own funds and the accompanying purchase costs. That way you get not just an answer to how much the bank could approve, but also how expensive a property you can actually afford.

What does creditworthiness mean?

Creditworthiness is an assessment of whether you will be able to repay a loan regularly and on time. It is one of the key criteria in loan approval, since it is how the bank estimates the risk that a borrower will not be able to meet their obligations. If you want the detailed, step-by-step process, we also explain how banks calculate creditworthiness.

Two legal limits on creditworthiness

Under Bank of Slovenia rules, in 2026 a consumer must normally be left with at least €745 a month after paying all loan instalments. If you support dependants, an additional amount must remain for them. At the same time, total debt repayment (DSTI) normally must not exceed 50% of your net income. When approving a loan, the bank applies whichever of the two limits is stricter. The amounts for children and other family members are listed in minimum living costs for a loan.

For a single person with no children and no other debts, a simplified estimate of the maximum instalment looks like this:

This is not yet a bank offer - an individual bank may set a lower instalment due to its own risk policy, the type of income, or your regular expenses. The examples apply to a single person with no dependants and no existing loans or leasing. Even €200 of an existing monthly instalment can reduce a possible new 30-year loan by roughly €45,000 at the same interest rate. That’s why it matters to enter every liability into the calculator, not just the mortgage you’re considering.

Why isn’t salary alone enough?

Many people expect a simple formula that would let them calculate the loan amount purely from net salary. In reality, the process is considerably more complex - besides income, the bank also checks employment type, length of service, income stability, existing liabilities, and dependants.

Imagine two people with a net monthly salary of €2,000. The first has no other loans, leasing, or dependants, while the second is repaying a car lease and supporting two children. Even though they earn the same salary, the first person has more disposable income available for a new monthly instalment. That is precisely why there is no universal answer - the final amount always depends on an individual’s specific situation.

How much loan does a given monthly instalment buy?

The loan amount depends on the interest rate and the repayment term. At an indicative fixed rate of 3.5%, the monthly instalment for a €100,000 loan is roughly €580 over 20 years, €501 over 25 years, and €449 over 30 years. A longer term therefore increases the amount within reach, but also the total interest.

Example: if your safe instalment is €800, at a fixed rate of 3.5% the indicative loan is roughly €138,000 over 20 years, €160,000 over 25 years, or €178,000 over 30 years. Don’t look only at the monthly instalment though - check the total amount paid too. A €160,000 loan over 25 years at 3.5% means an instalment of roughly €801 and a total of roughly €240,000 in payments, while over 30 years the instalment drops to roughly €718 but total payments rise to roughly €259,000. A lower instalment therefore doesn’t necessarily mean a cheaper loan.

What do banks check?

When assessing creditworthiness, banks typically analyse several factors at once. The level of regular income matters most, with employment income carrying the greatest weight. Some banks may also take into account income from renting out property, side jobs, or other regular inflows, although the criteria vary between banks.

Besides income, banks also check existing financial liabilities - every loan, lease, or other debt reduces the amount you can put towards repaying a new loan. The number of dependants, the borrower’s age, and the planned repayment term also play an important role. Banks also check SISBON registry data and your history of meeting financial obligations.

Which liabilities most often lower creditworthiness?

Many people do not realise that the loan amount can also be affected by liabilities that seem unimportant at first glance. Existing loans have the biggest impact, since every monthly instalment directly reduces disposable income. The same applies to a car lease, which banks treat as a regular financial burden.

Authorised limits and credit cards can also be an important factor - even if you do not actively use them, some banks still take them into account when assessing risk. Dependants also have a specific impact: the larger the household, the more funds a person needs for everyday life, which can reduce the maximum possible loan.

How to correctly use the creditworthiness calculator

In FinPortal.si’s creditworthiness calculator, first enter your average net monthly income - use an amount the bank can demonstrably recognise, not your best month of the year. If you receive a variable pay component, a bonus, overtime, or other allowances, banks may treat them differently, so it’s safer to start with a conservative figure.

Then enter your existing monthly liabilities, such as consumer loan or lease instalments. Add the number of dependants and choose your desired term. If the result is lower than expected, check which input is limiting it most - at lower incomes it’s often the minimum amount that must remain for living, while at higher incomes it’s the 50% income limit.

Mortgages and creditworthiness

Creditworthiness is especially important when buying property. A mortgage is often the largest financial obligation in a person’s life, which is why banks pay particular attention to this area.

Many buyers start the process on property listings - they browse ads, attend viewings, and search for the ideal home. Only later do they start checking whether the bank can even approve the loan they want. This approach often leads to disappointment. It is far more sensible to first check your creditworthiness and the approximate loan amount, and only then start looking for a property.

The effect of your own funds and the property’s value

With a mortgage, it is important to distinguish between creditworthiness and the value of the property used as collateral. Creditworthiness determines what monthly instalment you can afford given your income and liabilities, while the property’s value and the required own contribution can further limit the amount of financing. Even if your income would allow for a larger loan, the bank may therefore not finance the full purchase price - we cover how much own money is realistically needed in how much down payment you need to buy a flat.

A buyer who can finance part of the investment themselves usually needs a smaller loan, meaning a lower monthly instalment and lower total interest costs. Even so, it is not advisable to spend all your savings on buying a property - after the purchase, additional costs often arise for furnishing, moving, renovation, or other unforeseen expenses.

Why isn’t the highest possible loan the most important thing?

Many buyers mainly want to know how large a loan the bank can approve for them. However, that is often not the most important question. It is much more useful to think about what monthly instalment you can realistically afford long term without major financial strain. A loan that sits at the very edge of your repayment capacity can quickly become a source of stress when unexpected life events occur.

Salary, family circumstances, and living costs change over the years, which is why it is often better to choose a somewhat lower monthly burden and keep more financial flexibility. A good lending decision is not necessarily the one that allows for the largest possible loan - often, the best one is the one that keeps a household’s budget stable in the long run. How to check whether you could afford the payment if EURIBOR rose or your income fell is covered in Mortgage stress test.

How can you quickly check your creditworthiness?

Because conditions vary between banks, a precise answer is not possible without an actual calculation. The easiest way is to use the creditworthiness calculator, which takes your basic income and liability data into account. Based on this data, you can quickly estimate roughly what loan you could obtain given your situation.

Important: the result of the online calculator is indicative and does not guarantee that the bank will actually approve a loan for the amount shown. The final decision depends on the bank’s lending policy, document verification, credit registry data, the value of the collateral, and the circumstances of each individual case.

How much can you borrow based on your salary: key takeaways

The question of how much loan you can get based on your salary does not have a simple answer. Salary is an important factor, but not the only one. Final creditworthiness is also shaped by existing liabilities, the number of dependants, the amount of your own funds, employment type, and several other elements.

That is why it makes sense to check your financial capacity before you start looking for a property or submitting a loan application. Good preparation can save you a lot of time, prevent unpleasant surprises, and help you make a more considered financial decision.

Before viewing properties, check roughly how much loan you can get based on your salary and existing liabilities. Enter your details into the creditworthiness calculator on FinPortal.si, estimate the financing amount within reach, and then compare offers from different banks.